“This is the best day of my life.”—Popup bikeway recap from San Leandro
Three young boys pushed their scooters up and down the popup cycle track on Bancroft Ave at Toyon Park last Saturday, and after several up and downs, one kid hollered to the other two “this is the best day of my life.” By that measure alone, the popup was a success.
We helped stage 3 popup cycle tracks in one day, a demo day of sorts, in San Leandro to show off the preferred bike safety improvement for Bancroft Ave and Williams Street. Hundreds of residents came out to check them out, hundreds of people biked the cycle tracks, and many San Leandro City Council members rode by, as well as other candidates for office. The As Kneaded Bakery at Victoria Circle was particularly appreciative.
It made for a fun day that would not have happened without strong support from the City of San Leandro, the design team at Fehr & Peers transportation consultants, and at least 40 Bike East Bay volunteers, staff and interns. So many worked overtime on this ambitious multi-demonstration project.
A goal of the popups was not only to show off the cycle track concepts, since San Leandro does not yet have a cycle track, but also to get feedback on parking removal (which we got a lot of), issues with removal of a center turn lane on Bancroft Ave and drivers backing out of their driveways across the cycle track. With an actual cycle track to experience, the feedback was much more rich and informed, and will allow the City to further refine designs while continuing to build support.
The goal is to present the project to City Council by end of year, and if approved, seek grants to construct. If you missed the popups, you can still provide your feedback here.
And if you volunteered, please join us tomorrow (Wednesday) August 17, 4:30pm at 21st Amendment Brewery on Williams Street, so that we can thank you again.
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